Fitbit - Blaze Smart Fitness Watch (Large) - Plum

I previously had a Fitbit Charge HR, but after encountering problem after problem with it, I decided to upgrade to the Blaze. I have had the Blaze for a couple of months now, and it is a BIG step up from the Charge HR. If you are torn between the Charge HR and the Blaze, the Blaze is the way to go if you are willing to fork over the extra money. In my opinion, it is worth it. That said, I still encounter some of the same frustrations that I had before with the HR, as I’ll describe below. Here is a run-down of my observations. The Good: Reliability--the heart rate monitor is much more reliable than the Charge HR. The problem with the Charge HR is that it was notorious for losing the heart rate during more intense workouts, such as HIIT, especially when heart rate was 150+. This was one of my main frustrations with the Charge HR. The Blaze has been much more reliable. I noticed yesterday that the Blaze was even picking up my heart rate at 180 bpm. Only on occasion have I noticed the dreaded “--” when it is unable to pick up the heart rate, and it is usually only seconds before it detects it again. Design--I think that the watch looks much more attractive than the Charge HR. I was concerned that the watch face would be too big for my wrist, but it is not. I personally find the design to be slick, and the screen when activated is sharp, colorful, and easy to read. Lots of people have even stopped me to ask about it, not knowing that it was a Fitbit. Battery--I am getting 1-2 days more than what I got with my Charge HR. The low battery notifications are also much more reliable than what I experienced with the Charge HR. Some have complained about the charging cradle that comes with the Blaze, but I personally haven’t experienced any problems with it. Snapping the tracker back into the band can take a little maneuvering, but after a few times it becomes easier. Workout Modes--You can select what type of workout you are doing. As far as I know, this doesn’t affect how the tracker tracks, but it is nice that you can now keep a record of what type of workout you did on what day. The Indifferent: Watch Faces--There are four available, but only one that I actually like. Fortunately, I REALLY like that one, so It’s a minor problem. Still, more options would be nice, and I would be surprised if Fitbit didn’t roll out new faces in the future. More customization would be a nice addition, too. Changing to a new face seems silly, as it must be done on the app or computer, not on the tracker itself. Watch bands--I assume that soon enough generic bands will be available, but Fitbit charges an absurd amount of money for the stylish watch band replacements. I have the standard black band, but I also like the leather band, but at $99.95, I don’t like it THAT much! The Bad: Connectivity Issues--Randomly, usually at least once a week, the tracker will not sync with my Android phone (Motorola Droid Turbo). Usually the problem will be resolved with either a restart of the tracker, or just randomly at some point later that day, or at its worst, the next day. Customer Support--Fitbit customer support is usually just cut-and-paste answers that one could easily find on the internet, and often they don’t actually correct the problem. With the connectivity issues, their support team provides a list of fixes (restart the phone, restart the tracker, restart the app, etc.), but the company overall doesn’t seem to be addressing the fact that these issues exist in the first place. Also, at one point they blamed my phone, which works fine with everything else. Overall, the tracker is great. It does what I want it to do, and it is much more reliable than the Charge HR. The connectivity issues can be a minor annoyance, but fortunately a temporary one.

Compatibility listing on the box is misleading when it says "Windows Devices". If you are planning on using this with "any" windows mobile device, do your research before buying! Go to the fitbit help forums and read the windows 10 app section. When trying to connect your blaze with the computer to your fitbit account for the first time with the included sync/charge cradle, it doesn't work. The sync/charge cradle will only charge. When you start the fitbit software to sync your fitbit blaze to your account it asks you for a bluetooth dongle which you don't get with your blaze. You can call in to fitbit and request one. During my initial research before buying, shortly after the Blaze was released, I went to my local Academy and the store associate told me that I should order it online because it's missing some parts. They had several returned because of missing parts. Come to find out by my own experience, the missing part was the bluetooth dongle that fitbit software was asking for because the sync cradle doesn't sync. After numerous phone calls and emails to fitbit support trying to get the blaze to work correctly, I finally gave up after a month of trying to work with fitbit support. Also a particular email response from fitbit Support didn't help their cause either. I did a simple copy and paste (no alterations to it) to the help forums and it was immediately edited out. I asked the moderator why they edited out what fitbit support had sent me. Their response was "We didn't want our consumers to get the wrong idea or be mislead". Uh, fitbit, "your support team" sent me the email in a direct response to my question. At this point I was done with fitbit for good. I went in to my local Best Buy and let one of the managers read the posts in the help forums and the email exchanges. The manager was actually laughing out of disbelief and apologized for Fitbit when it wasn't even a Best Buy issue. The manager offered to take the Blaze back and give me store credit even though I had the Blaze for a month. I used the store credit to preorder the Garmin Vivoactive HR. And when I went to pay for the difference between the Blaze and the VHR, the manager said that Best Buy will take care of the difference in price after what I've read and saw for myself what fitbit had done. I've had the VHR for a few days now and I can honestly say you get a lot more bang and versatility for your buck. For me, the VHR is more comfortable to wear and has more options, a lot more. Garmin support has beat fitbit hands down in every category which says a lot about a company and the relationship with their customers.

As for the music control, The When I go to the Blaze 101 Guide within the FitBit app on my smartphone, and select Music, the animation that plays, make is seem like you can adjust the music from within the activity window. The visual that plays over and over shows going to the activity, starting it and then the screen pulls down to adjust the music as it does from the main page. This is very misleading. What is the point of having the music adjustment except for when you are in the middle of a workout? This is definitely a major negative in my opinion. Also while working out, I have one of my pre-set activities as circuit training and yet it has not automatically detected it yet. It sometimes detects walking or running instead. So, in order for it to track the correct activity, I have to use the activity screen on the watch and then I can't control my music except by using my phone. This is hard to do as I am in the middle of a workout and have only so much time to get from one station to another. Annoying. I have had trouble also with the plastic band for this watch. It is very wide even for a not-so-petite person like myself (I wear Large band size on the 3rd to smallest hole - small looked like it would be too small). When I wear the watch for workouts, I get an allergic reaction to the plastic. So, I have to change the watch to my other arm right after. It would be nice if there was a band that tapered a little bit so that it was not as obtrusive. I'm thinking something more feminine. Also, maybe one that is designed more for sports that breathes. Like a fabric and velcro option or a stretch-type band for better comfort when you are really sweating it out. Lastly, I was disappointed to find that the reminder to move when you have been sedentary too long was not included with this product. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot to like about this watch. I am however a bit disappointed that it is not all that I expected. I hope some of these things will be corrected as further development takes place. Hopefully when they roll out a software upgrade.

Look and Feel: Blaze is gaudy but surprisingly lightweight--seems lighter than the Charge HR. Nice interactive touchscreen, with the ability to change watch faces, brackets, and bands. Would be nice if there were more watch faces to choose from. Functionality - Tracker for steps and calories is generally off. For instance, last night I did a brisk walk on the treadmill for 45 minutes, bu the device only tracked 3,000 steps. Another tracker I was using tracked 4700 steps. Generally, for me, moderately brisk walking yields 1,000 per 10 minutes. Battery lasts typically 4-5 days, but the tracker has to be popped out of the unit and then put in the DUMBEST charger EVER! However, it pops out and back in to the unit easily. The ability to track specific exercises that you can customize is a nice perk, and can be done by using the device's touchscreen with a fair amount of ease. This is the fun part--and it can all be done from the device without having to use the mobile app to track activities. Unit will lightly vibrate when you reach goals, get a phone call, or a text (so long as your phone is close by). You can adjust your music on another device on the units touchscreen--a feature I can do with or without. Since you have to have your mobile phone to use this feature, you might as well just adjust the music on your phone or tablet directly. The Fit Star app on the device is a nice perk, but leaves room to be desired as its workouts are extremely limited. The FitBit mobile app is pretty good, but recent upgrades have been very glitchy, especially with Android phones, and you can join the fitbit community boards to see the number of complaints with upgrades. The app may not work well on earlier Android phones like the Galaxy S3 and perhaps the S4.. Pricing: For the price, FitBit really could have done a lot better in terms of features and functionality. The Blaze is a glorified Charge HR with a touch screen and a few added perks. Compared to the iWatch, it seems to be a more versatile device for less money. Typically selling at $199,00, it's not a bargain, but not a bad price for a tracker that is akin to a smartwatch. Overall, the Blaze is a nice tracker with a few fun and convenient perks. However, in terms of accuracy and functionality, it's not much better than the Charge HR. It should have, for the price, a function that alerts you when you have been sedentary too long, as does the much cheaper Atria, and a working GPS function for mapping running and walks. I would say that it is a tad better than the iWatch for much cheaper, and is far more customizable.

I'll admit, I'm slightly amused how many times I've uttered those words. Yes, charging and syncing the fitbit does seem a bit inconvenient, perhaps a deal-breaker to some, but I feel like this is a problem people would have "in the future." The "future" being now. Overall, I have no major complaints, all this is still relatively new technology, at least on a mass produced commercial level. Stair Climbed Accuracy it particularly inaccurate, and the band does start to irritate the skin, but that can be remedied with warm soap and Cetaphil, which I recommend to sooth the fatigued skin. I only have two major grievances, neither of which are technically the fault of the watch itself, hence the 4 stars, but this has more to do with the apps and the way BPM ranges are calculated. While I'm not so savvy on programming and software architecture, I feel very strongly that one major variable is conspicuously missing from any mobile fitness brand. That would be drugs. Whether these drugs come from a licensed physician or are obtained illegally, can WILDLY influence things such as resting heart rate, or registering general psychomotor agitation as "steps" towards your daily goal. I understand that every individual reacts differently to different substances, and of the thousands of possible combinations against unpredictable variables; even on a genetic level drug sensitivity can be greatly influenced, vis a vis active genetic markers, how substances are metabolized, neurochemical balance, the list goes on. I don't know taking all this into account is even viable from a technological stand point, likely some kind of AI would need to be developed, and of course consulting with your physician is always a good idea. Case in point: I am a 26 year old male, slightly overweight, and even though I'm not the most athletic guy out there, my Fitbit sure thinks I am. My resting heart rate averages between 110-120. It's not so appropriate to get too specific here, but the medications I require raise my heart rate and so If i'm doing something as simple as washing dishes, Fitbit seems to think I'm training for a triathlon. I know ranges can be manually adjusted, but I may be spoiled by all this automation and predictive feedback, I should've have to. I just punch in my how much and when I take my dosages, factors other variables, such as did I take it while in a fasting state? How do my other prescriptions interact? Maybe after aggregating all my health data collected nearly 24/7, I might be able to receive a warning that I'm approaching a Vitamin D deficiency, and see a doctor to make sure nothing's wrong...or even just suggestion to alter my diet to avoid the situation all together. I know it's a bit of a Pie-in-The-Sky idea, but from my perspective it's a major flaw that I feel was overlooked. The watch itself is good, I guess. It's balanced, is a better word. It charges fast, but drains fast depending what features you use. The choice of clock faces are exciting. While there is a moderate variety of watch bands to pick, from the default sporty kind-of rubber, to a rugged cloth type, or chain links, they are entirely too expensive. But ask yourself this: how often do you change watch bands to begin with anyway? Bottom line, I'm satisfied. I'll likely skip the next 2 or 3 generations of fit watches before I even consider a new one.

I was searching for a smart watch for a while doing my research to see what was out there. At the same time I also wanted something I can use for my workouts. The Fitbit Blaze works great during workout, 24/7 heart monitoring is great for calculating the calories burned for the entire day. If you are looking for something to help you track your daily activities this is a great product. Tracks steps, floors climbed (pretty accurate tested it and only 1 time so far didn't calculate the stairs I went up), distance for the entire day, water intake log, food log which is great because if the product you are eating has a barcode simply scan it with the Fitbit app and it will count the calories for you, sleep log detects the amount of time you slept based on your movement and heart rate while sleeping, also lets you set a goal to lose weight and keeps track of how much you have left based on you updating your weight, stay active feature where you set a certain amount of hours of the day that you must stay active which recommends you to get up and take 200 steps. The watch is also great for working out options. Set your work out Running, weights, trendmill, Bike, Elliptical, and the watch will track it and log it into the app where it lets you see your weekly workouts and also heart rate during the workout. Tracking your average beats per min to your max bpm during the workout. Bluetooth functions allows your to connect your watch to your smart phone where you can do the following: -change music, volume change -see text messages, incoming calls, and voicemail alerts. You can't reply from the watch but you can see the message. Watch also vibrates if you want it to so you can feel when you have a message. You will never miss a message or call while wearing the watch with the notification feature one. Alarm function: great feature set you alarm on Fitbit app and your watch will vibrate to wake you up. Love this feature no more walking up others with the sound of an alarm. Overall watch is great highly recommend it anyone.

PROS: * Tough, comfortable to wear, stylish, and easy to get on and off. I was worried that it would feel like I had a fragile cell phone strapped to my wrist, but it's not like that at all. I've banged it into things, bumped it around, sweated on it, gotten dirt on it, and it cleans up and keeps on going no problem. * Great combo between a fitness tracker and a smartwatch - perfect for working athletes or busy parents on the go. * Heart rate monitor is tops - has no problem reading my heart rate in a variety of exercises and I don't have to keep the wristband in an uncomfortable position or strapped on too tightly. * Sleep tracker is surprisingly accurate. * Intuitive to use and pairs seamlessly with my iPhone 6. * Fitbit app is fun to use, visually pleasing, and a nice compliment to the device. * Long battery life, easy to charge (you pop out the black square device from the interchangeable wristband), charges quickly. * It's a nice bonus to get email, calendar, text, call and other notifications right on my wrist without having to keep my phone on me (as long as you're in Bluetooth range). Keep in mind that notifications only work if you're synched with your phone via Bluetooth. * All the fitness features - GPS synching, etc, work really well. * Ability to see call notifications and also accept or decline the call right from the watch screen. CONS: * Plastic wristband gets sweaty and, if you wear it day after day, can cause some skin redness in places. I recommend washing the band in soap and water daily, and taking it off for a little while each day. * For some reason, if I let the Fitbit automatically detect exercise, it will categorize a vigorous walk as time on an elliptical machine instead. You can go into the app and recategorize exercises, but it's still annoying. * If my hands are cold or too dry, sometimes it takes a few taps to get the touchscreen to recognize input. * When you're in the exercise tracking mode (note: this is a mode you enter manually, I'm not talking about the day-to-day tracking of steps) you can't access the rest of the device (in other words, it won't track an exercise in the background while still allowing you to still use the clock, step tracker, etc). You can scroll through screens while in the exercise mode to see the time of day and etc, but it's still annoying that the exercise mode can't run in the background. * Longer text messages (over 3-4 sentences) get cut off on the Fitbit screen.

I got the Blaze, thinking that it would be a good replacement for the HR. I didn't like the HR because it didn't really show a lot of information on the display. The Blaze is being enough that it displays a lot all at once. Pros: + Large, intuitive interface. + Great colors on the interface. + Love the features where it'll track the run on my phone and give me a map. + The Display will show all of the important things on the wake up screen. + The Fit star mini exercises are kinda cute. (I'm not sure how much of a gimmick these are; I might not wind up using them for very long.) + Interchangeable bands are awesome. At work out time, I'll use the plastic band. Then, when going out to dinner, I'll slip it into the leather strap. I didn't think that I would dig that, but I really like it. + The battery has a really good life. I went about 3 days between charges last week and it was still at about 50%. + Snapping the watch into the charger is nice. I know that it's charging. (After a few months with the HR, sometimes the charging cable would come lose and I wouldn't have a charge for the day. Grr... Not the case with the Blaze!) Cons: + The sensitivity of the touch screen is just kinda OK. On the main screen, if you tap your steps, it'll cycle to the next stat (like floors climbed, calories burned, etc), but my fingers are big enough that I can't hit it consistently n the first try. + Notifications are kind of a pain. I've set a *lot* of thing to go to the watch. The problem is that I have to scroll through ALL of them to get to the bottom to clear them. I kinda wish that there was a button that says "Hey, I know about all of these notifications, just clear them all. (There is a clear button but it's WAY at the bottom.) + Compared to the HR, it seems like the floor counting is a little low. + You have to take the watch out of the strap to charge it. That's definitely a drag. + The charging interface takes an initial snapshot of the battery and then it doesn't update until it is completely charged. I would hope that it would update as the charge increases. + Twice (in about 6 weeks of use) it stopped synching the steps altogether. This might be a problem that I had multiple devices synching or maybe my app was the problem. I've reinstalled the Fitbit app on my phone and it seems to be working now. Overall, I'm VERY happy with the Blaze. One thing to note going in is that this is NOT a smart watch. That is to say, you cannot install Apps on it (like you can with an Apple Watch or Samsung's Gear). However, I wanted to be notified who was calling, the contents of text messages, notifications of emails, and the normal Fitbit step counting/heart rate tracking/sleep tracking/etc functionality. On all of those fronts, complete success.